Terrorism and Economy Seen as Top Problems Facing Country Today, but Neither Dominates

Perception of terrorism as most important problem down from last fall

PRINCETON, NJ -- Terrorism, war and the economy continue to
predominate when Americans are asked to name the most important
problem facing the country today. These issues are not dominating
the consciousness of Americans to the degree that they did at times
last year, however, nor are they dominating to the degree that
other problems have in past years.

Four out of 10 Americans now mention terrorism, fear of war, or
national security as the country's most pressing issue. That's
followed by about three out of 10 Americans who mention some aspect
of the economy in response to this question.

At some points in America's recent history, concern about war or
international affairs has been so prevalent that up to 70% of those
answering the "most important problem" question have mentioned
these issues. This was the case, for example, in August 1966, when
69% mentioned the Vietnam War or related topics as the nation's
most important problem.

Similarly, much higher numbers of Americans in past years have
mentioned the economy when asked about the most important problem
facing the country. This was the case in polling conducted in the
early 1990s, and in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

There was a brief period last fall when concern about terrorism
and the war neared the two-thirds level. In October, 64% of
Americans mentioned terrorism, the war or national security. But
the top-of-mind mentions of these issues in response to the "most
important problem" question began to fall soon thereafter, and have
stayed at about the current levels for the past several months.

The pattern we see now in response to this Gallup Poll question
is similar to that observed in the mid- to late 1990s and in 2000
and 2001. No single problem is so salient that a majority of
respondents mention it or that it crowds out all others when
respondents are asked to name their perception of the most
important problem facing the country.

Beyond the economy and the war, respondents do not mention any
single domestic concern with any great frequency. Education and
morality/ethics are mentioned by 7% of respondents, while 6%
mention healthcare.

Additional Key Points

1. There is little difference by political party affiliation in
perception of the economy as the No. 1 problem facing the country.
Twenty-eight percent of Republicans, 31% of independents and 31% of
Democrats mention economic concerns. Similarly, there is little
difference by party affiliation in mention of terrorism/national
security/war in response to this "most important problem"
question.

2. There is also very little difference by gender or age in
perception of the most important problem.

Discussion

The responses to this question ("What do you think is the most
important problem facing this country today?") represent
top-of-mind concerns, and are often different from the ratings
obtained when we read off a list of problems and ask each
respondent to evaluate their importance.

Two categories of responses have typically been most prevalent
over the years: economic concerns and concerns relating to the
war.

In the spring of both 1989 and 1990, however, drugs became the
most important problem -- reflecting the particular focus on drugs
and the drug problem at that point in time. Similarly,
crime/violence was the most important problem for two years in the
late 1990s.

Despite the near general recognition that the United States was
in a recession last year, top-of-mind mentions of economic concerns
have not risen above 40% since the early 1990s. Ten years ago, in
the midst of the last recession, up to 70% of Americans named the
economy as the nation's top problem. The economy also dominated
top-of-mind thoughts about the most important problem facing the
country in the inflationary times of the late 1970s and early
1980s.

The Data

What do you think is the most important problem facing this
country today? [Open-ended]

Most Important Problem: 1939-2002 (Based on responses in the
spring of each year)

Date

Problem

Mentioning

%

2002 Mar

Economy

28

2001 Mar

Economy

20

2000 Mar

Education

16

1999 May

Crime/Violence

24

1998 Apr

Crime/Violence

20

1997 Jan

Economy

24

1996 May

Economy

31

1995 Jan

Economy and Crime/Violence (tie)

27

1994 Jan

Crime/Violence

49

1993 Jan

Economy

59

1992 May

Economy

66

1991 Mar

Economy

70

1990 Apr

Drugs

30

1989 May

Drugs

27

1987 Apr

Economy

29

1986 Jan

International Issues/Foreign Aid and Economy
(tie)

30

1985 May

Economy

50

1984 Feb

Economy

64

1983 Apr

Economy (unemployment 53)

93

1982 Jan

Economy (inflation 49)

84

1981 May

Economy

24

1980 Mar

Economy (inflation 75)

81

1979 Feb

Economy (inflation 62)

69

1978 Apr

Economy (inflation 55)

74

1977 Mar

Economy (inflation 54)

95

1976 Apr

Economy (unemployment 24, inflation 38)

62

1975 Mar

Economy (inflation 60)

81

1974 Jan

Environment

46

1973 Feb

Economy (unemployment 10, inflation 23)

33

1972 Apr

Vietnam/War/Peace/Terrorism

35

1971 Feb

Vietnam/War/Peace/Terrorism

22

1970 Jan

Vietnam/War/Peace/Terrorism

32

1969 Jan

Vietnam/War/Peace/Terrorism

47

1968 Feb

Ethics/Moral Decline and Crime/Violence (tie)

13

1967 Jan

Vietnam/War/Peace/Terrorism

62

1966 Aug

Vietnam/War/Peace/Terrorism

69

1965 Feb

Vietnam/War/Peace/Terrorism

42

1964 Mar

Racism

34

1963 Sep

Racism

52

1962 Apr

International Issues/Foreign Aid

32

1961 Feb

International Issues/Foreign Aid

36

1960 Feb

War/Peace/Terrorism

23

1958 Jul

International Issues/Foreign Aid

46

1957 Aug

International Issues/Foreign Aid and Economy
(tie)

22

1956 Sep

War/Peace/Terrorism and Racism (tie)

21

1954 Mar

Economy

37

1952 Jun

War/Peace/Terrorism

55

1951 Sep

War/Peace/Terrorism

56

1950 Mar

International Issues/Foreign Aid

39

1949 Jun

Economy

40

1948 Mar

War/Peace/Terrorism

39

1947 Jan

Economy

55

1946 Feb-Mar

Economy (unemployment 58)

73

1945 Mar

Economy (unemployment 30)

30

1939 Apr

Economy (unemployment 46)

48

Note: These percentages to some degree reflect differences in
coding procedures used over the years (i.e., which specific
mentions by respondents should be considered "economic") and
therefore should be used as general estimates only.

Survey Methods

These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly
selected national sample of 1,006 adults, 18 years and older,
conducted March 4-7, 2002. For results based on this sample, one
can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to
sampling and other random effects is ±3 percentage points.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical
difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into
the findings of public opinion polls.

Recommended

How would you rate economic conditions in this country today -- as excellent, good, only fair, or poor? Right now, do you think that economic conditions in the country as a whole are getting better or getting worse?

How likely is it that there will be further acts of terrorism in the United States over the next several weeks -- very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely or not at all likely? How worried are you that you or someone in your family will become a victim of terrorism -- very worried, somewhat worried, not too worried or not worried at all?